A plan is being pursued to build a new liquefied natural gas (LNG) combined-cycle power plant in the Gwangju area, where four semiconductor fabs are to be located. The measure follows the assessment that a foundation capable of supplying stable power at an early stage must be established to enable the early groundbreaking and rapid ramp-up (expansion of mass-production volume) of the semiconductor fabs.
According to the ruling party, the government, and the energy industry on the 8th, the government is reviewing a plan to cover a certain portion of the total 6.3 gigawatts (GW) of power demand for the southwestern semiconductor cluster with an LNG combined-cycle power plant. Coal-fired power plants in the Dangjin, Boryeong, and Taean areas of South Chungcheong Province are set to be replaced by LNG combined-cycle plants in stages by 2040, and options under discussion include relocating some of these to the southwestern region or including a new LNG combined-cycle power plant in the 12th Basic Plan for Electricity Supply and Demand.
Following the government's suggestion that it could build two additional new nuclear power plants in the South Jeolla Province area, mobilizing LNG combined-cycle plants as well is a strategy to accelerate the operation of the Gwangju fabs. Although there is space to build two new 1.4 GW nuclear reactors at the Hanbit nuclear power plant site in Yeonggwang, South Jeolla Province, considering the issue of securing storage space for spent nuclear fuel, which is at full capacity, as well as opposition from residents, an absolute construction period of at least eight years is expected to be required.
While the Honam region is rich in renewable energy such as solar power plants, it is difficult to supply electricity stably around the clock even when linked with energy storage systems (ESS). The fact that new transmission lines would have to be built up to the semiconductor cluster if new power sources are scattered across the southwestern region is also a burden. As a result, LNG power plants, which supply power stably while having a much shorter construction period than nuclear plants, appear to have emerged as an alternative.
Local communities are also mobilizing all their administrative capabilities to support the establishment of the semiconductor cluster. Min Hyung-bae, mayor of the Jeonnam-Gwangju Integrated Special City, emphasized at an open executive meeting that day, "If the semiconductor cluster development targets mass production in 2030, it is a speed battle on top of a speed battle," adding, "We must review all foreseeable risks."
